This article, "Radical in the White House", was written by Thomas L. Friedman. Friedman has been awarded multiple Pulitzer Prizes for his work with the New York Times, and was then elected to the Pulitzer Prize board. This article appeared in the New York Times on January 21, 2009, in response the the inauguration of our President, Barack Obama.
I believe that this article was written to provide a unification for those Americans on each side of the political fence. Friedman discusses the big tasks that Obama must tackle, and expresses his hope that he will not fall short of his promises. This allows those that have always been Obama's supporters to rally together on the side of the writer, and also allows those with doubts to step back and say, "You know, I hope that he fulfills his promises too...." Regardless of whether or not they believed he was the man for the job in the first place, the hopeful tone of Friedman's article can bring everyone together as we look forward. The basic argument of the article is that Obama needs to stay true to his claims of being for change. He cannot step back and make baby steps when he has promised leaps, and the leaps he makes must be followed through from beginning to end.
